Mark: I agree, it is a scandal that the feddle gummint will not fulfil its
responsibilites in the matter of illegal immigration. As that San Diego
registry shows, though, there are a great many things that lesser actors can
do to “chill” the appeal of illegal immigration. Since many illegals work
in domestic service, home improvement, landscaping, and the like, here is
another avenue we might explore. If an illegal immigrant is injured while
working on private property, instead of absorbing the costs of his treatment
(which they cannot reclaim from state Workmen’s Comp schemes since the
worker is not covered), hospitals and municipalities shoudl sue the property
owner to recover those costs. A few well-publicized prosecutions like
this — even unsuccessful ones, which could still cost the defendant a
bundle of money in legal fees — would have homeowners clamoring for
guarantees from home-service contractors that their workforce does not
include illegal entrants.